Powers and Abilities
Powers and abilities within the Propverse are primarily centred around two concepts: Magic, and Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP). History Magic and ESP existed on Earth even before the existence of Propella was discovered. Magic The earliest recorded practice of magic was in the 13th to 12th century BC, in Egyptian records. In there, a person named Moses was recorded to have parted an entire sea in order to have a path for his men to cross to the other side. Much focus was placed on his chanting in an undecipherable language before the performance of the act, a language that "boomed and sounded as if spoken from the heavens". Modern thaumaturgical studies indicate that this might have been the only recorded example of Divine Magic, a lost art that uses the language of the gods as a substitute for long, unwieldy magical incantations. The reason for the lack of records with respect to magic is that magic was an underground subject from its earliest times, due to the negative reaction of common man toward anything that they find extraordinary. Only in the 17th to 18th century, when the IEU had been established, was the existence of magic announced to the world by the foremost researcher of magic in the world at the time, Erutaretil's Gwendelyn Fromovetta, then-Head Librarian of the Grand Central Library. The implications of this revelation could have been devastating, but much was averted by means of the Head Librarian's releasing of thousands of years' worth of magical research material, making magic seem much more of a science than an arcane subject. In the modern day, magic is treated as barely more than something that exists somewhere in the world and that people with talent practice, similar to pianists or martial artists. Impact on Modern History Magic's revelation in the 17th century led to several changes in the global power landscape. One of the most notorious dictators in modern history, Adolf Hitler, was posthumously discovered to have been the last descendant in a long line of mages. His family line specialised in mental manipulation through their own Crested Magic, Portentia. This ability was said to be one of the highest level thaumaturgies in the nonphysical magic field, able to generate fields over thousands of kilometres wide, influencing the thoughts of every intelligent individual within without a decent level of magic resistance, with its power increasing relative to the number of people affected by it. Throughout World War II, Hitler used this to his advantage, inspiring almost fanatical devotion within his people. ESP The earliest recorded practice of ESP came much later, only in the 1960s, coinciding with J.B Rhine 's studies on parapsychology. The earliest recorded people to have ESP was a doctor couple, Hidetaka Kato and Noda Isao. In a study conducted in 1964 in the Nagakawa Prefecture in Japan, the couple exhibited exceedingly high scores in a card-guessing experiment, averaging a score of 23 out of 25 when the two of them took the test together. They were later monitored with their consent, and were allegedly found to possess a certain form of clairvoyance that allowed them to diagnose patients with extreme accuracy and speed as long as they were working together. Magic Magic is the use of mana or aether to manifest phenomena that exist outside the physical possibility of the world. Magic is split into three types: *Innate (people who are born with their powers), *Crested (people who inherit their powers), *and Spellbook (people who learn their powers). Common Traits All forms of Magic require an activation code. The activation code consists of two parts: #The magi's own unique verbal code, and #the Magic type's unique verbal code. The first activates the magi's Magic Circuits, allowing for the processing of mana in the atmosphere; the second is a required sequence to reprogram the Magic Circuits to process mana in a certain manner. While the first has only to be spoken at the start of the magic usage phase and at the end to deactivate the Magic Circuits, the second has to be said for every type of magic used, and if it is used again. Innate Magic Innate Magic is the type of magic most similar to ESP. Users of this type of magic do not need to use activation words or phrases, or only have to use single-syllable activation words to unlock their powers. Innate Magic is the fastest of the three types of magic, and is also usually one of the most powerful, depending on the magi's innate power. However, the repertoire of this type of magic is easily the most limited of the three. In comparison to computer systems, Innate Magic would be like running specialised programs built by external vendors; the user does not need to know how to code, and already has access to extremely powerful processing software, but it cannot do anything besides what it was designed to do. Users of Innate Magic Kuroi Tsuki - Mental Break / Marble Phantasm Li-Kwon Eun - Red Lightning Lucetia Bleufeuille - Unified Language Moridin - Undoing Sierra Nark - Full Water Control (Spirit) '' Vedeloitte P. Katyushka - ''Replication Venser Savoir - Eye of the Mind (True) Crested Magic Crested Magic is the most common type of magic, and forms a balance between the forms of Innate Magic and Spellbook Magic. Users of this type of magic typically use one-sentence or one-phrase activation codes to unlock their powers. Crested Magic can be used as frontline battle magic if the magi possessing it has other skills to allow his or herself time to finish the activation code. Many forms of Crested Magic were formally Spellbook Magic, created and passed down by ancestors. Over time, the familiarity with the Magic allowed the users of it to employ High-Speed Spellcasting, shortening the activation codes with time. As a result, many old families have Crested Magic with activation codes under five words in length. Crested Magic needs significant startup time to reach the power of Innate Magic. However, the repertoire of Crested Magic is a lot larger compared to Innate Magic. In comparison to computer systems, Crested Magic would be like an all-in-one program built by multiple users in Linux; the user can change the code if he wishes to, and add new functions, but its functions are more convoluted and harder to use than a specialised program. Users of Crested Magic Lucetia Bleufeuille - Red Magic Madeleine Dawson - Serration Lattice Mordecai P. Heinemann - Wrath of the Hecatonchires Nakara Kamin - Heaven Requiem Sierra Nark ''- Spirit Calling'' Sol C. Raxius - Glade of Creation Tatsuyama Miyo - Physisthurgy Spellbook Magic Spellbook Magic is the second most common type of magic, and is often used by mages with no innate ability and no family history. There are three sub-categories of Spellbook Magic: Rapid, Traditional and Pre-Inundated. In comparison to computer systems, Spellbook Magic would be like coding a computer in UNIX. Rapid The casting of time-worked spells, condensed to their most minimal form, through the use of magic catalysts (often, but not always, taking the form of wands). The repertoire of such a mage is limited to only a minimal number of general spells that exist in common knowledge, but a mage talented in both the Rapid and Traditional forms may create his own unique brand of Rapid magic. Rapid spells typically comprise one- or two-word incantations. Traditional The shaping and formation of magical incantations through bodily gestures and words. A mage using this form of magic must understand the importance and significance of the words he uses and the movements he makes. Traditional Spellbook Magic users have the greatest repertoire of magical abilities, and access to the latest in magical technology as well. However, Spellbook Magic takes a much longer time than the other two forms of Magic to reach any significant level of power. Users of this type of Spellbook magic have to use full-length activation codes to unlock their powers. Traditional Spellbook Magic's primary use is as artillery or support in a battle owing to the multiple-sentence length of the activation code. Pre-Inundated Magic cast via the Traditional method on a holding medium prepared with the appropriate catalyst. Applying the brew on its intended target or otherwise as indicated by the spell used will activate the stored magic. This is the most covert form of magic, and is commonly known by the term 'Potion'. Users of Spellbook Magic Vedeloitte P. Katyushka - Replication ''(base) Venser Savoir - ''Illusion ''(base) The above two examples, owing to several conditions under which the powers were obtained, are not textbook Spellbook Magic examples. Tatsuyama Miyo - Ofuda Magic Catalysts Magic catalysts come in many forms, with different types of catalysts suited for different types of magic. Catalysts are typically used to enhance the power of magic spells created through incantations, and is especially important in Rapid Spellbook Magic owing to the weak nature of single- and double-word incantations. Inorganic Inorganic catalysts are items that were derived from non-living objects, e.g. precious metals or gemstones. Generally, the rarer the material and the more flawless, the greater its magical capacity. The size of the objects used also determines the magical capacity. Inorganic catalysts excel at direct magic such as attack or defence magic, and are also efficient at the generation of structures. '''Examples (in increasing order of power):' *Bronze (the weakest form of catalyst) *Silver *Gold *Platinum *Topaz *Ruby *Diamond *Philosopher's Stone (the greatest inorganic catalyst available) Organic Organic catalysts are objects obtained from rare living creatures such as phoenixes and unicorns. The more core an object to the creature's existence (e.g. a unicorn's tailhair vs. its horn), the rarer the creature, the greater the magic capacity of the catalyst. Size is usually a negligible factor in determining the capacity of an organic catalyst. Organic catalysts excel at indirect magic such as summoning, transfiguration and healing. Examples (in increasing order of power): *Dragon scale *Phoenix tailfeather *Unicorn tailhair *Dragon heartstring *Unicorn horn *Phoenix heart *Branch of the Propella tree (the requirements for using this as a core are extremely stringent; so far, there has only been one case of success in the creation of the Iglesschtr, held by Friedlich ou Iglesacht). Different types of catalysts can be mixed in specific amounts in the same object to change its magical affinity, i.e. creating a wand equally skilled in summoning and structure-building. Generally, the greater the number of catalysts, the more efficient the object gets in handling multiple magical tasks. Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) is the manifestation of mental power using stamina and intelligence as its base multipliers. Compared to Magic, the number of ESPers are small. ESP occurs in the same manner throughout all people who have it, either development stimulation through a ESP-training program or innate manifestation. The manners in which ESP manifests are spread across multiple faculties, including physical, mental and fundamental dimensions, and are thus not classified by type, but by capability. The classifications of ESP are: *Physical *Mental *Fundamental *Other Physical Physical ESP is the use of the mental faculty to affect the physical space around the ESPer. Powers in this category include pyrokinesis, telekinesis, cryokinesis, superspeed, superstrength, unaided flight and electric manipulation among others. Physical ESPers are the best suited for frontline activity on the battlefield. Users of Physical ESP Jasper Black - Telekinesis Satsumura Kyouko - Superstrength/Superspeed Shizuka Ariko - Heat Sense Sol C. Raxius - Telekinesis Mental Mental ESP is the use of the mental faculty to affect living things' perceptions around the ESPer. Powers in this category include telepathy, plant manipulation, animal manipulation and illusion among others. Mental ESP users are best suited as a support for other physical ESPers on the battlefield. Users of Mental ESP Jasper Black - Clairvoyance Satsumura Kyouko - Clairvoyance Fundamental Fundamental ESP is the use of the mental faculty to affect basic laws of nature and the universe around the ESPer. Powers in this category include time-space manipulation, energy manipulation, vector manipulation and creation among others. Fundamental ESP is usually the strongest class of ESP. Its users are well suited for individual missions. Users of Fundamental ESP Kurogane Yuki - Gravity Control Jorryn "Jack" French Janneva / Nimue Nanami Nincanegue - Imagination Engine Other Other ESP skills that do not fall under the above three come under this category. This includes skills like empathic mimicry, power stealing, and spiritual powers. Users of other forms of ESP Noel R. Fitzgerald - Harmonisation Sources (Quantum Theory) The Fitzpatrick Quantum Theory '''states that powers and abilities are derived from two types of fundamental particles: the '''magitron, which serves as the base energy quanta of magic, and the estron, which serves as a fuel for the operation of ESP. Magitron The magitron is a particle that occurs naturally within the orbitals of an atom (1 in 8000). Magic is derived from the harnessing and condensing of the energy within these naturally occurring particles, and the resultant explosive conversion and emission. Propella is a very rich source of magitrons (1 in 10), and is thus functionally a limitless source of magical energy. Functional Details Magitrons give rise to magic through the conversion of the energy within the magitrons in the atmosphere. This is done by running the equivalent of a current - a magic torqla - '''through a series of magitrons via the use of a '''magic circuit (Innate Magic), a magic circle (Crested Magic) '''or a '''spell (Spellbook Magic). These are, however, the base forms of magic casting - any combination of the three in different amounts may give rise to magic. Indicators of Magic Use Whenever magicians utilise magic, the harnessing of magitrons within the atmosphere gives rise to a natural luminescence depending on the method of creation of the magic torqla. It takes the form of a natural glow around the magician for users of Innate Magic, the glow of the magic circle for users of Crested Magic, and a glow surrounding the spellbook or casting medium for users of Spellbook Magic. This glow, a visible indication of Winfrecht-Lossfried Radiation, takes on a colour that differs from magician to magician, as the style of magitron conversion varies with each user. Different users of the same Crested Magic generally use the same style of magitron conversion, and thus normally possess similar colours. Estron The estron is not a naturally occurring particle, and does not exist in nature. Estrons are similar in nature to photons in that they are made up of packets of energy, but differ in that estrons have mass. However, once estrons are completely depleted of energy, they cease to exist entirely. Estrons do not follow the equation E=mc² ''as the amount of energy released by each estron before disappearing is vastly smaller than the energy released by a particle following Einstein's law. Functional Details Estrons are created via the ''Fitzpatrick-Occhel process, where the soul of an organic being reacts at a fundamental level with the organic body of the soul's container to convert energy into estron packets. From this, estrons function similarly to magitrons in that ESP is created via the conversion of estrons into energy by running the equivalent of a current - an estron restol - '''through a series of estrons via the use of the soul's architecture, '''Restol Amplifier, which can be controlled and utilised by people with ESP. Estrons that have been created through this manner but are expulsed from the body before use through the inefficient use of energy cannot be reabsorbed, as estrons spontaneous break apart outside of the soul's architecture into various energies, depending on the ESP user's ability. This phenomena has been termed Natural Occurrence: Oblivation Phenomenon, or NO:OP for short. Reactions and Conversions Magitrons and estrons are not fundamentally convertible, and will spontaneously annihilate with each other to create large amounts of energy. As a result, ESP users are not able to use magic at the same time as they are using ESP due to the opposing nature of the two ability types. However, ESP users may use magic without any harm to themselves if they are not using both at the same time. Category:Propella Story Universe